[X] My Assistant

[Redstone]

Another interesting fact sheet on an MSL instrument. This one achieves remote sensing (up to 13 meters away) of elemental abundances by firing a laser and and performing spectrographic analysis of the resultant flash. Another part of the instrument is a Remote Micro Imager, which gives resolution approaching the MER MI, but at a range of 2 meters rather than 6 cm.

Apart from great opportunities for rapid science return, this instrument also has a significant coolness factor. I mean, a rover with a laser that zaps rocks! If that doesn't capture the public's imagination, I wonder what will?

Also: a new article on MSL and ChemCam from Astrobio.net. According to the article the Double and Delay option for MSL is still being considered. Anyone know when NASA will/must make a decision?

[arccos]

>Double and Delay option
This is new information for me.
I would realy welcome sending two rovers instead of one, that would be great improvement fot this mission.
But if I shoul have decided, I would send one rover in 2009 and the second in 2011. Two reasons:
- we would get some data sooner (who wants to wait by 2011?)
- if the first rover fail, we would be able to improve/reconstruct the second rover to prevent another failure

[Marcel]

>Double and Delay option
This is new information for me.
I would realy welcome sending two rovers instead of one, that would be great improvement fot this mission.
But if I shoul have decided, I would send one rover in 2009 and the second in 2011. Two reasons:
- we would get some data sooner (who wants to wait by 2011?)
- if the first rover fail, we would be able to improve/reconstruct the second rover to prevent another failure

The double and delay option is under consideration for months now. I'd say that a winning recepy should not be changed: if they build two: just send them within the same window in 2011. It takes time: let MRO do the cartography, carefully select the landingssites (which also needs further thorough analyses of MER data) and incorporate the fanciest and most sophisticated instruments possible at that time. The results will be worth waiting for.....besides: i want them to show us multiple succesfull (completely) autonomous skycrane landings in rocky terrain on earth, before they send these babies !! The testing of this landing technology is going to take a lot of time and attention.